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Penn Sewing School records

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG4-056

Scope and Contents

The collection contains minute books (1876-1906), charter, history, printed report, and other papers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1868 - 1906

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

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Conditions Governing Use

Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

Penn Sewing School was founded in 1868 as the Friends Sewing School. The name was changed in 1871 and classes suspended in 1899.

Known first as the “Friends Sewing School,” Penn Sewing School was organized with the help of Dillwyn Parrish and William C. Biddle by two young Quaker women, Annie Caley and Augusta Taber. Friends of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) held at Fifteenth and Race Streets granted the use of a room, and the children were gathered from the neighborhood. The first four teachers were Augusta Taber, Mary Biddle (later Wood), Sallie Cooper, and Annie Caley (later Dorland). The first class was held February 29, 1868. Seventy-nine girls attend the School in the first year, including both black and white children. In the season 1874-1875, 260 children were enrolled. In 1871 the name “Penn Sewing School” was adopted, and the institution was incorporated. In 1873 a meeting for mothers was started. This grew and was incorporated in 1877 as the “Friends Instruction Association.” Penn Sewing School continued until 1898 and Friends Instruction Association until 1881.

Extent

0.5 linear ft. (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Penn Sewing School was founded in 1868 as the Friends Sewing School. The name was changed in 1871 and classes suspended in 1899. The collection contains minute books (1876-1906), charter, history, printed report, and other papers.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into five series:

  1. History
  2. Charters and trusts
  3. Reports
  4. Minutes
  5. Miscellaneous

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donor: Unknown, before 1957

Found in FHL manuscript room in 1957.

Title
An Inventory of the Penn Sewing School Records, 1868-1906
Author
FHL staff
Date
1957
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA